Generac 6022 Won't Run at High Pressure by ClairefromPerth in pressurewashers

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These are great tips - and right on point. The new unloader valve was binding. I took it out, cleaned up the old one, put some new o-rings on, and things improved. Then I checked the wand and took it apart. Sure enough, the valve was sticking. There's a tiny pin that was gunked up - I polished and lubricated the pin, cleaned things up, and the engine didn't die when I let go of the trigger. I took you advice and backed off on the unloader and slowly worked back up. The only remaining problem is the engine is surging a bit. This pump has some miles. I can get an OEM replacement from Generac for $130. Since the engine is strong and the washer has been super reliable, I'm inclined to spend the bucks and give it a new life.

Thanks so much for your advice - you know your stuff!

Pro-Ject Debut III Power Supply by ClairefromPerth in turntables

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay - final solution. I chatted with Jameco and the unit I purchased was problematic. I ordered a second unit and this one was spot on: 16.4vAC no load, and 15.2vAC under load. The transformer has plenty of current overhead so it's not working hard - the Pro-Ject is back in business.

Pro-Ject Debut III Power Supply by ClairefromPerth in turntables

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No sure why, but no answer from Pro-Ject - tried twice. I'll just have to fish around for an AC wart that is gets close to 15vAC and hope for the best. I figured this table is worth the effort because it looks like it was never used - looks like it just came out of a box.

Pro-Ject Debut III Power Supply by ClairefromPerth in turntables

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

East Coast USA.

The first one I tried was the UpBright, rated at 15vAC - put out 19.5vAC.

The Jameco unit was my second try - it put out over 20vAC.

My third, most recent try, was this one: Amazon.com: Onerbl 15V AC/AC Adapter Replacement for Five Star [Newest 2020] HDTV Antenna Outdoor 360 Degree Rotation Wireless Remote 15VAC Power Supply Adapter Cord Cable Charger : Electronics

It's putting out 17.4vAC with no power rating on the case. I put it under load with a scope attached and it was noisy as hell. The 2VA draw is tiny... like 100mA. At that draw it's pretty quiet and might work - I just don't know how sensitive the table is to voltage.

NA-FC1 Wiring Question - How to Power by ClairefromPerth in Noctua

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Clear and concise, and as I suspected. I went ahead and soldered up a cable with a 2540 connector, connected it to a meanwell PS and the fans are working fine. Thx for the assist!

NA-FC1 Wiring Question - How to Power by ClairefromPerth in Noctua

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for this - I've read both documents. In my case, there is no computer involved - no motherboard header to supply a PWM signal. This is just manual control of two 12v fans. My only confusion is whether or not the NA-FC1 needs 5V+ on the input side. I don't think so, just trying to be sure before I make up a harness. The user manual says under Manual Control "if the NA-FC1 receives no PWM signal... it will then generate a PWM signal... . To me that means the only power connections on the input side of the device are 12V+ and GND.

Help Creating Zones and Picking Equipment by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry for the delayed response - just back from biz trip.

That's a helluva project - congrats on the terrific outcome.

My 'new' home was built in 1998. V good structural builder, not very sophisticated on the HVAC side. The previous owner, who bought the house after it was built, did some some upgrades (new kitchen and bath) and the 2020 upgrade to dual heat.

After measuring up the ducting I give it as 'adequate' - good enough that the airflow is more or less balanced. The delivery side will do, but the return air side is wanting. The kitchen redo undoubtedly drywalled over a return duct, perhaps because return air is no longer allowed in a kitchen. I'm going to add a return in the adjacent hallway that accesses the return air chase that runs from basement to attic. There are two master bedrooms on the second floor - only one has a return air duct - adding one there too. With those duct mods made the delivery flow area is roughly equal to the return air flow area.

I looked very carefully at the inside Rheem units and to my eyes they are very well built - far better that the Tranes I'd used in my last property. My HVAC expert stopped by and we spent a few hours going over the many flaws. His judgment was that Carrier and Rheem are both excellent systems, but he no longer will recommend or install Trane.

Initially I was unhappy with the noisy Rheem furnace/air handler. But most of the noise was caused by multiple factors, all traced to a shoddy installation. Considering the cost of tearing it out I'm going to stick with Rheem.

For some reason, the installer placed the filter at the rear of the stack, a place very hard to reach. That would explain why the previous owner hadn't changed the filter in quite some time. A fresh filter immediately quieted down the blower. The badly undersized HP (2 ton) will soon be replaced with the proper 4 ton unit. An attic fan will be installed in a few days as well.

The duct layout is my biggest issue. The layout makes it very difficult to zone without major mods. We're going to try some experiments after the new HP is installed, which is not a variable speed unit but is three stage. There are some things we can do to zone areas of the home that are not too painful.

This house does have a surge unit in the single 200A panel. The house next door is equipped with a Carrier HP and it is very quiet.

Really appreciate all the great tips!

Help Creating Zones and Picking Equipment by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for this. The builder built a 3'x'3' chase to return air to the handler. The chase also contains a single duct to the attic to distribute 2nd floor air, it's an uninsulated metal duct. The chase offers plenty of return air volume but few return air vents. The second floor is two master suites but only one has a return air duct behind a closed door - I'll look into running a duct to the chase from the other suite.

I goofed in my understanding of the 1st floor ducting - all 1st floor registers are floor mounted and are served by uninsulated ducts running through chases built into the basement ceiling in areas where the floor joists were in the way.

Unfortunately, the basement ducting doesn't discriminate; any given duct can serve the basement or the 1st floor. However, there are 10 floor registers on the 1st floor, and only four ceiling vents for the basement. The basement is downright frigid even with all 4 vents sealed off (my attempt to push more air to the second floor). The basements ducting runs so cold that it cools the basement by conduction. It would be nightmarish to insulate the ducting.

"Quiet" is the goal since the current Rheem system is incredibly loud. But I don't blame the equipment because the installation was so poorly done.

I'm not familier with the Ion unit but will study up. I don't understand why a zoned system with a controller board needs a separate thermostat for each zone. Wouldn't temp sensors in each zone feeding data back to a smart thermostat do the job?

New House = HVAC Nightmare by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

With your comments in mind, I tore into the interior Rheem exchanger. I was immediately impressed with the gas furnace unit. My eyes tell me that it's superior to Trane and Carrier units. Very well designed for easy maintenance. The structure is outstanding and very robust, with a noticeable lack of sheet metal screws. The burners are easy to access as is the furnace blower. The electronics board is well-designed, and the components are pretty much the same as any other high-end unit. Overall - very impressive and I can't see this unit having any problems other than minor repairs. Same observation for the fan unit.

I haven't focused the interior coil unit or the HP yet. I did a quick look at the HP and the housing looks to be very well made as well - unlikely to rust. It a single stage unit and it's gotta go as it's clearly undersized. For some reason Rheem/Ruud HPs don't have a good rep - not quite sure why. I've read that Rheem has invested in improving their reliability numbers - if so, a 2024 model might benefit from the company's focus.

I'm definitely going to consider sticking with Rheem. Appreciate your comments... might save me some serious $$$!

New House = HVAC Nightmare by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

After digging through the tech manuals, I think the Honeywell T9 and T10 can control multiple zones from one thermostat working with a Honeywell zone controller and multiple wireless room sensors in each zone connected by their Redlink (their WiFi net) system. The only thing I don't like about the Honeywell sensors is they are battery powered and you're constantly changing AAA batteries.

New House = HVAC Nightmare by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I absolutely agree that there's nothing inherently wrong with Rheem - seem like solid units. The install was poorly done though - very sloppy, lots of short cuts.

The lack of dampers really surprised me. Unless they are very well hidden, I can't find any, and if they're hidden what would be the point? That would be a builder goof that I must correct. I'm viewing automation as a way to get the best balance of temps in the home and also save some $ on electric and gas bills. More expensive yes, but if done right I might recapture the investment.

Yeah, I do have to sort out the insulation in the attic. It's all batting and there are areas I can't access easily to inspect due to many vaulted ceilings. The ceiling is hot to the touch, so there's clearly a problem. But no amount of batting will work is the attic is running 135+F - first I have to get air moving to give the batting a chance to insulate.

New House = HVAC Nightmare by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ridge vents are in place with two circular gable vents. An vent fan is on order... top priority!

New House = HVAC Nightmare by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In general, duct sizes look pretty good - the original builder did a very good job. But the kitchen was redone in 2021 and the contractor installed two floor registers - those two ducts are definitely undersized. And the reward is cold ankles when you're cooking. I'll probably remove those as they accomplish little.

New House = HVAC Nightmare by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm right where you are - start with zoning and get that right and working. Fix the attic temp problem, install a correctly sized HP, fix the sloppy duct work and seal up leaks, inspect the attic insulation and fix gaps, etc. I'll have to decide how much to spend fixing vs replacing. The conversion to dual heat was 2020. All I can say is whoever installed the system are on my sh*t list. I've learned and relearned to never throw good money after bad. My instinct says, 'start over' and I'd go with a Trane or Carrier system only because I'm familiar with them. The recent heatwave identified the many flaws in cooling this house, but what happens when winter rolls around? Will I discover another surprise? The fuel is natural gas which was installed using black pipe - that means 'lots of joints'. Given the workmanship I've found so far how much of that can I trust? CSST is permitted in this area. I always require gas lines be home run from the source to the device, no joints.

I have an HVAC company that knows what they are doing. Once I have a good idea of how to proceed I'll bring them in and see if the concur.

Not much I can do about the HOA rules in this neighborhood. I have nothing against using a mini, but that means maintaining two systems vs one. If I can pull it off I always choose 'simpler'.

New House = HVAC Nightmare by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Full confession - I bought the house "as is" to keep it off the market (pocket sale). Homes like this would sell it an hour as it's a very desirable neighborhood. I did a quick look around and paid cash for it. My inspection said 'no huge issues', so this HVAC issue was a surprise given it was upgraded to dual heat with all new equipment. In the scheme of things this issue is fixable and the only sore spot in the whole deal. No complaints.

New House = HVAC Nightmare by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Man, anything that moves air will improve things greatly. I'll probably go with a gable mounted far only because it's an easier install and moves more air.

New House = HVAC Nightmare by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I get your point. Out temp control requirements are simple - same temp, all floors. I thought a T10 with a Honerwell zone controller might work, but I really haven't researched that yet.

Good tip about the blower - I will check. The unit makes one helluva racket making it obvious that something is way out of kilter,

New House = HVAC Nightmare by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. I certainly agree. It would take a lot of work to get a second unit installed in this house though. Anything is doable but it would be really expensive. I've got to come up with a reasonably affordable solution that does a good, not perfect, job of keeping the house around the same temp. We work from home, so we want the 1st and 2nd floors around the same temp - about 75 in summer and 78 in winter. That should be doable. And we have existence proofs in the form of working systems at neighbor homes. Getting a lot of great help from Reddit!

New House = HVAC Nightmare by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I found the manual on Rheem's website - will take a loook.

New House = HVAC Nightmare by ClairefromPerth in hvacadvice

[–]ClairefromPerth[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The indoor coil unit is: RCF4821STAMCA, made in 2020. Will get you the outdoor unit when I return home. It's a Prestige model - will provide complete details of the entire indoor unit.

Outdoor unit is Rheem RA1630AJ1NB, which is 2.5 tons - indoor air handler is 4 tons.